The tilt assembly for a vehicle steering column to which the subject invention pertains normally include a support housing to be supported by the vehicle for rotatably supporting the lower steering shaft, a tilt housing defining an upper steering shaft axis for rotatably supporting an upper steering shaft for rotation about the axis, and a pivotal connection pivotally connecting the tilt housing to the support housing for pivotal movement about a tilt axis extending transversely to the upper steering shaft axis. A manually actuated latch mechanism is moveable between a latched position for preventing the pivotal movement of the tilt housing and an unlatched position for allowing the pivotal movement of the tilt housing relative to the support housing about the tilt axis.
The manually actuated portion, e.g., a tilt release lever, of the latch mechanism is normally orientated to extend transversely of the steering column thereby projecting radially. Due to the width of the tilt assembly the distance between the pivot axis of the release lever and the action point along the lever that transmits the unlatching force is limited, as is the distance the lever extends from the tilt assembly. Therefore, the mechanical advantage provided by the release lever is the total length of the release lever divided by the distance between the pivot axis and the action point. The undue projection of the release lever from the tilt assembly also presents packaging problems or limitations.